Supporting children and young people with educational funding.

Founded in 1827, the RMNEF is privileged to have been supported by the patronage of every British monarch since William IV (1836). Today, the charity benefits from the patronage of His Majesty the King. Over the past two centuries, support has been, and continues to be, offered to children of Merchant Navy seafarers, professional sea-going fishermen and RNLI lifeboat crew members, who are either currently serving or have served at sea.

The Foundation believes that each young person is unique, each with specific needs, requiring every applicant to be assessed individually. Factors such as domestic environment, geographical location, health and finance are all taken into careful consideration and a solution offered to provide the support to those who need it most.

To determine whether a young person is eligible for our help, we will also consider the length of their parents’ sea service at the Trustees’ total discretion.

The RMNEF offers support from preschool and nursery all the way through school education years. The Foundation also offers support to student at college, university, career training and in apprenticeships.

A wide range of financial grants are included within the charity’s goal of “enabling education” and can involve contributions towards school or university fees, living expenses, educational books, visits or equipment, school uniform costs – even laptops. Following its motto, that ‘Education is the Foundation’, the Foundation works alongside other not-for-profit organisations within the sector to enable ‘Foundationers’ to obtain professional, career-entry qualifications for future employment.